order to promote and protect human rights and
fundamental human freedoms. Based on Article 14, the
ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human
Rights (AICHR) was formally established during the
15th ASEAN Summit in Thailand in October 2009.
However, the scope of AICHR has been limited
under Article 1.7’s noninterference
principle,
as well an embedded
practice of consensusbuilding
among member
states.2 Another new
development in human
rights in ASEAN was
the establishment of the
ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection
of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) in
April 2010.
It seems that ASEAN has been searching for
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complement its efforts in promoting and protecting
human rights. While the phrase “human security”
does not appear verbatim in the charter, the notion
of security is expressed in Article 1 (purposes) and
Article 2 (principles) in various forms. The phrase
“comprehensive securityW in Article 1.8 implies human
security in addition to the traditional notion of state
security. Phrases such as “the empowerment of the
people of ASEAN” of Article 1.10 and “fundamental
freedoms” of Article 2.2(i) also offer signs of the
emergence of a human security paradigm.
A new challenge for ASEAN is how to
achieve a peoplecentric
ASEAN by promoting and
protecting human rights and human security under
the contradictory principle of noninterference
among the Member States. Previously a member of
the United Nations Commission on Human Security,
the SecretaryGeneral
of ASEAN Dr. Surin Pitsuwan
believes that ASEAN integration cannot be completed
without enhancing people’s sense of belonging to an
ASEAN community.3 In other words, searching for an
“ASEAN identity” among a population of six hundred
million is an important step toward the realization of a
peoplecentric
ASEAN.
Although the author of this paper is aware
of diverse interpretations of the current situation,
(including the realistrationalist
one), she takes a constructivist approach in examining the status of
human rights and human security in ASEAN in practice
as well as in theory.4 The former ASEAN SecretaryGeneral
Mr. Rodolfo Severino says, “The ASEAN
Charter should be understood not only by wording but
also by practice.”5
This paper’s
methodology is based
on document analysis as
well as interviews and
dialogue with regional
stakeholders. ASEAN’s
author’s primary source
materials while academic
works on human rights, human security and relevant
ASEAN issues are her secondary sources. Interviews
and dialogue with persons who are involved in ASEAN
matters are also indispensable sources since this paper’s